The Final Twilight
by EtherDoc
Summary: For those seeking closure and a new beginning, let the adventures continue. Gabrielle and Ares work together to save the woman they love, her child, and themselves. Post AFIN.
1. Chapters 1,2

Ch1

A figure wrapped in brown muslin guided the horse down a sunlit path. He stepped out of the ether and fell in step besides her, not speaking. They walked together and the sun moved quietly across the sky above. Finally she slid off the horse's back and turned to face him. She pushed her hair out of her eyes. It was longer, he saw, almost reaching her shoulders. Delicate lines crossed her forehead and spread out from the corners of her eyes. Gabrielle had aged.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Where's Xena?" Ares demanded.

"She's gone, Ares. I came back from Egypt to tell you. I'm sorry." Gabrielle took a small pouch from around her neck and held it out to the God of War. He stood and stared at her with his arms crossed but he could see by the way Gabrielle's shoulders softened that a shadow of emotion had crossed his face.

"It's a bit of Xena's ashes. I thought that you might want-"

Ares yanked the small satchel from her hands, flinging it onto the ground.

"What I want is Xena! Here, by my side. Instead I get her irritating little sidekick! Tell me happened so I can get her back!"

Gabrielle's face moved through sympathy, anger, and finally sadness. She mounted her horse in one swift motion.

"She died, Ares. She was mortal and she died."

Gabrielle rode off fast, kicking up a trail of dust behind her. When she was out of sight, Ares bent down to retrieve the pouch. The suede felt worn and rough under his fingers as he placed it around his neck. Ares grasped the pouch in his fist, head bowed.

"This is not how it's supposed to be!" he roared to the empty road. "You hear me, Gabrielle – this isn't over!"

Ares returned to Olympus in an explosion of blue light. As he stalked the Halls of War a blazing fire moved behind him consuming the tapestries and furniture, charring them to a fine white ash. The walls trembled with his rage, the floors echoed his anger.

"It's not going to end this way! I will not let this happen!" The vases and jeweled statues flew backwards as he advanced, glass and stone tinkling across the floor. His massive throne toppled over with a loud crash and then exploded in the heat of a fireball.

"Ares?" a quiet voice came through the rolling clouds of black smoke. At the sound of his sister's voice he turned away, searching for a place to put his rage.

"Ar?" the voice came again, her soft hand resting on his arm. "What's going on, bro?"

"She's dead, Aphrodite. And I can't do anything about it. She's been dead the last two years for all I know. That irritating blonde rode off before she answered my questions."

"Who, Gabby? Well, then go find her, bro. She'll tell you what's up. Maybe she just needs some time to think about what she wants to say," Aphrodite said gently.

"What does it matter? She's gone and I get to spend an eternity without her. Not that I had a chance. One in a billion. Well, Xena, I hope you're happy where ever you are! I'm glad you died in some gods forsaken land where you can't be with your son even in death!"

Aphrodite stepped back from the fury radiating off of Ares in dark waves, his body glowing slightly blue in the red flames behind them. Power filled the room- the power of his godhood and of his anger. She stepped back again, uncertain.

"I would have given her everything. It's her own fault she's dead and I'm glad I don't have to deal with her head games anymore!"

"Ares, no, you don't mean that," Aphrodite whispered. Ares grabbed her arms and shook her, watching her eyes widen with shock as he answered back.

"Get out of here, Aphrodite. Get out and don't come back," he replied, a mask of calm falling over his face. Aphrodite turned and fled, so stunned she didn't even think to teleport away. "Xeeeeeenaaaa!"

Ch2

The earth was black and the spring winds spread the stink of death and scorched earth for miles. Every village in this province had been affected by the war and the effects would last for generations. Ares watched the bloody battle progress from the distant hillside. In the charred field below they were chanting his name, calling to him even as they died. They didn't remember their wives or children in those final moments, but of the glory promised to them in death. His head was filled with their thoughts and the worship they offered. He was the god of war and this was the reason for his existence.

_Then why do you feel so empty?_ A voice asked in his head, a voice that sounded annoyingly like Gabrielle.

He felt weary like he'd just had a long day at the farm. He ran his fingers up and down the smooth metal of his sword, a weapon kept flawless by its design. Once it had held the power of his godhood, a punishment from Zeus for breaking a few rules in his dealings with Callisto. When he'd regained his powers he had returned to his throne and former glory. His time as a mortal had cemented his feelings for Xena, but he was still a god. With Odin's apples it was different. And he didn't really want to dwell on the how or the why, but it was getting to where he didn't have a choice.

Ares left the battlefield for the solitude of Olympus, not really caring which side won or lost. They were all his soldiers and they would die for it. Century after century he had watched them as they fought and loved and died, unaffected by all of it because he did none of these things.

Until Xena.

Xena, his warrior princess.

_She was never mine, not in any way that mattered. Was I really so bad for her? I mean, sure, there was that whole Dahak thing. And the deal with Gabrielle… and the marriage contract. That really could have worked, but nooooo, she had to go jumping into that lava pit just to prove her point._

He'd given up his godhood for her daughter and her best friend. She'd been… surprised. Grateful. Who knows what emotions he thought he'd seen in those blue eyes that day. But she'd walked away. Again.

"_Like you gave her a choice?" _Gabrielle's voice accused.

_It's what I do. Damn it. This is not my fault!_

Xena had understood that after she had thwarted his plans to gain control of the Amazons. It was in the way she brushed her hair out of her eyes so she could see him better, the way she'd smiled in her victory. They knew each other like lovers_. She knew I wouldn't care, not really, not if she was involved. _And he hadn't. He wasn't surprised anymore by her ability to turn a situation to her advantage, to use whatever means necessary to do what (she thought) was the right thing. So maybe he shouldn't be so surprised by her death.

Ares sprawled across his throne, lost in thought. Why was it so much harder this time? He could still hear her voice. Smell her hair. He kept expecting those baby blue eyes to flash at him in the middle of a battlefield. He did not need this!

_"Guess she didn't need you. She just needed me, Ares," Gabrielle's voice taunted._

"Ah, I know... why don't I just..." Ares snapped his fingers and Gabrielle appeared crouched in a defensive position. Her sais were drawn and she had a shallow cut in her cheek. _Looks like I picked her up at an interesting time._

"Ares, what am I doing here?" Gabrielle asked, standing.

"I figured if I was hearing you up here," Ares replied, tapping his temple with one finger, "I might as well have a face to go along with that annoying voice." Now here was a captivating possibility, one he had considered before but never quite been able to work out with Xena around. An Amazon Princess and a warrior.

"You take me back right now, Ares!" Gabrielle demanded. Ares moved his head to gaze at her, resting it on one fist. "I mean it! I was in the middle of something."

She definitely had the right spirit, and a new passion that hadn't been there before Xena's death. With Gabrielle under his tutelage the entire Amazon nation could be his. They were a fierce bunch and now they had no goddess to protect them. Survival was always a good lever.

Xena would never forgive him if he managed to get to Gabrielle.

_Xena's dead._

"I need to ask you about Xena," he continued as if she hadn't spoken. Suddenly she was at his side, fist slamming into his chin. Ares rubbed his jaw in surprise_. I should really just roast the little bitch._ She pushed one sai against his chest and waited.

_Death's perfume can be very addictive._

No, it wasn't that. Gabrielle wasn't suicidal. And she wasn't dismissing him the same way Xena could. No, she was treating him like… an equal. A mortal. _Is that how she thinks of me? Well, then…_

"Fine," Ares said, lifting his hand to send her back through the ether. It was funny how differently he regarded the little blond with Xena gone. Gabrielle used to be an obstacle, the thing standing between him and Xena. What was she now?

"No wait, I wanted to ask you about Eve. But I don't have time for this right now - people's lives are at stake. Take me back and let me finish. Then we'll talk."

Suddenly the ground was coming at her fast and Gabrielle landed hard on her rump in a puddle of slime. Her leather squelched against her skin as she leaped up, the sound of Ares laughing making her ears burn.

"You did that on purpose!" she accused, slipping and falling down into the mud again. Ares merely shrugged and leaned against a tree as a group of thugs rushed towards the battling bard. _That'll teach her to take the god of war so lightly. _And it was amusing to see her covered in mud. Ares smirked.

"Over there, there she is! Get her!"

Behind them a wooden cage stood full of weeping women, slaves for the market. Gabrielle moved into a fighting stance, delivering a devastating kick to the first thug to reach her. She fought furiously, ducking and weaving as if in a dance while Ares watched approvingly. _Guess she picked up a few moves in Egypt._

"So, Gabrielle, about Xena."

"Not a good time, Ares!" Gabrielle called over her shoulder, narrowly avoiding a sword thrust at her heart.

"I gave up my godhood for her," Ares paced the ground behind Gabrielle as she downed two more men, hands moving in a blur of speed.

"You have got to be kidding, Ares!"

"No, I'm very serious here.

"No, I mean - I'm trying to fight and you're making it difficult to concentrate!" Gabrielle replied through clenched teeth.

"Oh, in that case..." Ares shot a bolt of lightning from his hand, zapping the nearest bandit. Another grime covered thug managed to sneak up behind him, running a sword through his back.

Ares turned around slowly and the man stared down disbelieving at the bloodless blade. "Now you've made me angry!" Ares snarled, grabbing him by the throat. The man dangled in the air as Ares crushed his throat with a sickening crunch. He tossed the body aside and the remaining thugs took off running.

"Thanks," Gabrielle managed, out of breath.

"Sure, don't mention it. Now, about Xena."

"By the gods, you are obsessed," Gabrielle said, running over to the cage and knocking off the lock with her sai.

"Thank you so much! How can we repay you?" one woman asked, grasping Gabrielle's arm.

"No one deserves to be sold as a slave. Live a good life. That's all the reward I need."

The women murmured their thanks as they passed and Gabrielle had a smile for each one. Ares rolled his eyes then yawned.

"Greater good, yada yada yada. Don't you ever just get tired of this?"

"Why, do you get tired of starting wars?"

"Good point."

Ares smoothed his features, trying to radiate sincerity. He placed his hands on Gabrielle's shoulders. Getting mortals to trust him was his specialty.

"I understand how important it is that you find Eve quickly. And since I am, well, a god, I am in a unique position to help you."

Gabrielle shrugged off his hands.

"I don't think so, Ares. I remember what happened the last time I owed you a favor," she said, turning away. Ares materialized in her path, but she stepped smoothly around him without stopping..

"Now, now, blondie. That's all in the past," he said, trailing close behind her. "I'll help you find Eve and all I ask in exchange is that you give me some information. Is that so hard?"

Gabrielle sighed and turned to face him again.

"I don't really have a choice, do I? You know, Ares, you could help me because Xena risked her life for you and Eve is her daughter," she suggested.

"Yes, but where's the fun in that? Besides, Xena risked her life for complete strangers. It's how she got her kicks. Literally."

Gabrielle looked up at him with that disgusting open-eyed honesty he found so disconcerting. How could anyone who spent years on the road with Xena and gotten mixed up with Dahak be so... so... sincere. _Yuck_.

"But with you it was personal. If you're looking to me for proof that Xena cared about you then you're missing the point. Think about what she did for you. Risking her life to get Odin's apples?" she asked.

"The world needed a sitting god of war. And I was born for this job. It's in my blood," Ares dismissed.

He could see Gabrielle wavering. After all, his offer seemed genuine and it was simple enough, at least on the surface. And that's how he liked it.

"Okay, Ares," Gabrielle replied. "What did you want to know?"

Ares folded his arms under his chest and gave her a small smile.

"The stuff that isn't in your scrolls," he replied. "I won't lie to you, Gabrielle-"

"Ha!"

"If I can find a way to bring Xena back I plan to do just that. I just have to figure out how. She's gotten quite good at cheating death, but she can't get out of our agreement." Ares rocked back on his heels, enjoying the way Gabrielle sputtered and protested.

"What are you talking about? Xena didn't have any agreement with you!"

"There's really not any way for me to say this that will make you hate me less," he warned with feigned sympathy. He was really enjoying this too much. "Xena's soul is mine. I have proof here-" with a wave of his finger and he was holding the marriage contract tucked beneath one of Gabrielle's old scrolls, "in writing."

_And you thought you knew everything about her. Oh, blondie, the stories I could tell you._


	2. Chapters 3,4

Ch3

"Ares, what did you do to make Xena sign this?" Gabrielle managed. She tugged at the paper, trying to tear it in half. When Ares made no attempt to stop her she pulled a sai from her boot and stabbed uselessly at the parchment. Little red sparks flew off, burning her forearms, but the contract remained unstained.

"What we have here, Gabrielle, is a legally binding agreement between myself and Xena," he said as she held the contract over a fire, watching the flames lick around the paper like it wasn't there. "And you don't really want to know why the warrior princess almost married the god of war. It's… irrelevant. What's important is that I have this, and with it I can claim her spirit."

As Ares spoke Gabrielle was filled with horror. _And to think I believed he had changed!_ Here he was up to his old tricks again, trying to drag her into some game she couldn't win. _Not this time, Ares. _She tucked the scroll away into her satchel, tightening the straps on her horse before turning to face him again.

"Stop. Just stop. I don't want to hear this. Xena made her choice. If you loved her you'll respect that, just as I did. Eli made a choice too. So did you, once. For once in your life, Ares, do something right the first time. Let her go."

"Like she let you go?" he replied quietly. "This," the contract appeared in his hands, "is the reason you're here."

"No," she heard herself whisper. "You're lying."

He wasn't. She could tell in the smug way he cocked his head back. Here was the key to getting Xena back, but at what cost? There was no way Xena would agree to this, especially if it meant being indebted to Ares.

"I won't help you, Ares. It's not worth it."

"Fine. Then Eve can stay where she is," he said, playing his card. "I hope you don't mind having her death on your hands too."

It never stopped. Just when she felt like she was getting a handle on life the Fates twisted her thread in a new direction. And _him_! If he couldn't get his way through manipulation he resorted to threats. Well not this time.

"No, it will be on your hands, Ares," she said, amazed at how strong her voice sounded even as her heart pulsed in her ears. "I'm not responsible for anyone's life but my own. Not Eli's. Not Xena's. Not Eve's. I will not risk everything Xena stood for so that you can have your way."

Gabrielle rubbed the horse's smooth flank with trembling hands, trying to calm herself. After all they'd been through to save Eve, to lose her now was unthinkable. Her mouth was filled with the coppery taste of blood, and she realized she'd bitten her cheek.

"Gabrielle," Ares voice was soft in her ear, taking on a seductive note she'd only heard him use with Xena. "You don't have to fight me. Not for something we both want. What kind of a future do you have here in Greece? You lost twenty five years and now everything you know is gone. Xena was your anchor to this world. What do you have left without her?"

The loneliness of the last two years filled her. She had been lost, so lost. In Egypt she had wandered from city to city, telling stories of a legend twenty five years old, fighting with peasants against warlords, searching for a place that felt comfortable and familiar. Her skills increased with each fight, but she didn't use the chakram. It stayed hooked to her belt, keeping her company besides the campfire on those long sleepless nights.

"What do you really want, Ares?" she finally managed, wiping her tears away with the backs of her hands. "Even if you brought Xena back she'd still fight you. You'd be bringing back the good Xena, my Xena. She'd still be looking for redemption, Ares, and she wouldn't do it in your arms."

"Oh, so I suppose she'd do it in yours instead?" he shot back and Gabrielle felt her cheeks burning.

"No, you misunderstand me, Gabrielle. You see, these last twenty five years weren't good for any of us. Certainly not for Livia, at least not from Xena's point of view. Not for me- my entire family is dead. I wasn't too torn up about dear old dad, but Aphrodite really misses Hephaestus."

After years watching Xena and Ares' verbal sparring Gabrielle had learned to look for the underlying current of Ares words. He spoke half truths while holding back critical details to get what he wanted. Their whole conversation had revolved around Xena, but that was just his lever – his method of getting her to respond.

"This is about the Twilight," she realized. "You're trying to stop the Twilight." Ares bit his lower lip and when he didn't answer she knew she was right. His arms crossed defensively over his chest. "But Aphrodite said you were more powerful now that the other gods are gone."

A cool evening breeze tickled Gabrielle's sweat slicked skin, making her shiver. She rubbed her arms and watched a flock of ducks flying off in the distance. Dusk moved over the empty field, bringing the sounds of crickets and evening birds. She realized she was still covered in grime and her growling stomach was becoming more demanding. The fierce rush she felt during battle was subsiding, leaving her drained and tired. She didn't want to deal with Ares right now. All she wanted was a hot bath and some food.

"I'm doing just fine," Ares answered in a low voice. "It's Aphrodite who's dying."

"Dying?" she echoed. She remembered how careworn and pale Aphrodite had looked at the temple, like she was… fading. _That's how I looked after Xena died. She's in mourning and she can't let go._ A chilling thought crossed her mind and she blurted it out before she could stop herself. "Are you stealing Aphrodite's powers?"

Ares moved his head back so fast Gabrielle thought she had slapped him without realizing it. "You mean like Caligula? I'm so glad you have such a high opinion of me, Gabrielle. Does this mean I get another song and dance number like the one in Rome? No? Well, listen up then. Aphrodite is dying because she's lost interest in the very thing that gives her immortality."

"This doesn't make any sense, Ares. The world was in chaos when Xena went for Odin's apples. People couldn't control themselves."

"When the world suddenly loses the power to love then people can't cope. But when it happens gradually then mortals learn to adapt. You and Xena only slowed the Twilight, you didn't end it. It ends when we die."

The last sliver of orange sun was slipping behind the distant mountains. Gabrielle pulled her wrap off the horse and set it on her shoulders, staring at the setting sun. Ares moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her torso, his chin on her head. Gabrielle was too tired to resist. She leaned back into his chest and closed her eyes. He was right; she didn't know anyone in this world. Here was something familiar, even if it felt wrong. For just a minute she allowed herself to do something she doubted Xena would have ever done. She simply let the moment pass without fighting it.

"I don't trust you, Ares," she said finally without opening her eyes. "I don't even like you." She felt him laughing behind her.

"Then you're smarter than I thought." He vanished so quickly she stumbled backwards, almost ending up on the muddy ground for a second time that day.

Besides her horse a small fire was kindling and on a blanket she found an assortment of fresh fruits and cheeses. She tore off a piece of bread from a steaming loaf, not caring that it burnt her fingers. Later she bathed in a nearby stream, washing away her doubts along with the mud and dirt. The strong wine she had with dinner made her eyes heavy and soon she was drifting off.

"Nite, Xena," she muttered, already half asleep. Beneath a cloak of invisibility a god watched her dream.

Ch4

"Well, thanks anyways," Gabrielle said as she offered the man a smile and a few dinars for his troubles.

"That's okay, miss. I don't need your money. I hope you find your friend," the peasant replied. He moved through the busy street, soon getting lost in the crowd of shoppers and vendors.

"Me too," Gabrielle sighed with frustration, blowing her hair out of her eyes. It was three months since she'd arrived from Egypt and this was the sixth province she'd visited in her search for news of Eve. No one seemed to know of Eli or his teachings. The whole province was reeling from war and chaos. It seemed like everyone was fighting. _The god of war is in mourning and the whole world has to suffer. Big surprise. _As if Xena's death wasn't hard enough, now she found herself worrying about Eve too. Maybe Eve had been captured by the Amazons or returned to Rome to fight for her. Had she somehow heard of Xena's death and gone in search of them?

_No, I need to be positive_, Gabrielle told herself. _I am going to find Eve and everything will be okay. I can do this._

It was just so… hard without Xena. Gabrielle missed those sharp blue eyes and her cat-like smile. And she was lonely. The brief confrontation with Ares had brought her grief to the surface again when she thought she'd finally learned to cope. His arrogance, that lack of humanity, had reminded her of their worst times together. She had no obligation to tell this immortal god what had become of a woman he'd tried to manipulate and seduce.

_I was only an afterthought. I don't owe him anything._

Then why did she feel so guilty about it?

_Focus, I need to focus. This kind of thinking is getting me nowhere. _

Gabrielle wandered down the noisy street, nibbling at a stick of meat from one of the food stands. She would probably pay for it later, but the smell of roasted chicken had been too tempting to resist. Her eyes wandered aimlessly around the courtyard as she wiped the juice from her chin. A small fountain bubbled in its center and children laughed and played around the cool spray of mist.

"Jenna! Jenna it's time to go!" A small girl ran to a peasant woman holding a basket of grapes. "Let's get this offering to Aphrodite so we can go home."

Gabrielle hurried after the woman and her child as they made their way to a great stone temple at the edge of the town. Ducking under the doorway she was greeted by the coolness of the stone and a soft smell of roses in the air. The temple was decked out in the traditional bright pinks favored by the goddess of love and her altar was covered in roses and fruits. Gabrielle watched impatiently as the woman presented her offering and prayers. She was just about to call out when the there was a burst of pink light.

"Gabby!" Aphrodite squealed in delight, running over to give the battling bard a hug. "Oh, I missed you, sweet cheeks!"

The goddess wore her mourning clothes, the black dress a sharp contrast to the usual filmy pink outfit she wore. Hair that used to shine with its own light looked drab and flat. And Aphrodite's eyes wandered around constantly, as if not believing what they were seeing.

"Aphrodite, it's good to see you," Gabrielle replied, her voice finding a warmth it hadn't held since Xena's death. "But you don't look so good. What's going on?"

"Oh, Gabby, you wouldn't believe how Ares is taking this. Olympus is a scary place to be right now."

Gabrielle felt less burdened knowing she wouldn't have to break the news to Aphrodite, but the guilt settled into her stomach almost immediately.

"Ares…" Gabrielle breathed. And was amazed by the jealousy she felt creeping along her skin. _Jealousy?_

"He really loved her, you know," Aphrodite said. And Gabrielle nodded, letting herself see the truth. She could admit it now. Although Xena would deny it, she had been more than just attracted to the god of war – Xena had cared about him, maybe even loved him. The subject of Ares had been strictly off limits between them. He was part of her past, Xena had argued, and the past had no place in the present. _Oh, Xena, you thought that you accepted your dark side, but did you really?_

She remembered finding the two of them together when Xena had lost all memory of her past and reeling from the energy she felt between them. And Xena had looked at him so openly, so tenderly. Then later when Xena had fallen pregnant she had wondered. She still wondered.

She tried to summon up the image of Ares running his sword through Eli, relying on that old anger to remind her why she hadn't come back to Greece in the last two years. Instead she saw the flustered look on Ares face as Eli had died, as Ares realized his hand had been forced so that Eli could become a martyr. So what had she done after that? Accepted her decision as a warrior, as a human being, and forgiven herself? Moved forward as Eli would have wanted? No, she'd gone to Ares and begged him to teach her.

"_Xena learned a lot from you. I want you to teach me everything you taught her," she had told him._

"_It's like a drug, isn't it? Once you get a taste, you keep coming back for more," Ares had replied as he'd tested her, lunging and parrying, playing with her like a cat does a mouse. She'd barely been able to block the complicated moves with her sais, and had been completely at a loss as to how to attack him. _

"_You're waiting for something, Gabrielle! Come on! I'm Ares. I made you betray Xena in Chin! I knocked up your precious little Hope and fathered The Destroyer. And I liked it!"_

_Then she had screamed, running at him in a blind fury to stab a sai into his shoulder, feeling a sense of relief as it found a target in a man she'd come to despise._

"_Weapons are made in the service of vengeance, Gabrielle," Ares said gently, pulling the sai from his shoulder and flipping it back to her. "Remember that the next time you use one."_

She had hated him. And the hate she carried in her had become her darkness, driving her actions as a warrior. In the heat of battle, in the rush of blood and sweat and fear, she could lose herself. When it happened she could feel him, as if she was offering him a form of worship through her dance with death. That rush of power was consuming, pulsing through her veins and giving her extra strength so that she could continue to fight. And the shadowy lust she felt each time she picked up her sais to fight became more demanding.

Maybe that's why even after he had saved her, saved Eve, she felt a queasy stirring of disquiet at the mention of his name. It was a reminder of what she could have become, of the intensity of what she had felt in the most desperate moments of battle. In a way it had nothing to do with Ares, but it also had everything to do with him. So she had forgiven him. She had to, in order to heal herself and move on. Her path as a warrior was set by her choices and she had no right to hold anyone, mortal or god, accountable. Not if she wanted to control her own destiny.

And as she found her way again she had also discovered a different side to Ares. He would never join forces with her and Xena for the greater good, but he had proven that he could make choices that were selfless. They had formed an uneasy friendship in their time together at the farm. At first he had followed Xena around like a puppy and sulked over his wineskin. He always smelled like wine and dirt and chickens. Apparently bathing wasn't high on his list of priorities. But he made a much better man than a god. Ares never seemed relaxed in his own skin, hiding the most basic of human emotions and joking to cover up when he was uncomfortable. Maybe that just made him a man.

Gabrielle pictured him graying at the temples and working on the farm with a mongrel of a dog at his side. If he was mortal he might ask if Xena had mentioned him before she died. Maybe as a god he couldn't. If she refused to tell Ares what happened to Xena out of vengeance then she was on the wrong path. She owed it to herself, and to Xena, to do the right thing. _But I don't have to like it._

"Okay, Aphrodite. I'll talk to him. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Ooooh, Gabby, I just knew you would!" the goddess squealed, and giving herself a little shake she called out. "Aaaares!"

Ares appeared in a burst of blue light.

"What is it, sis? I'm kinda in the middle of a war right now."

Gabrielle turned her head to the hard voice, looking up into eyes darker than the midnight sky, and saw a stranger. Gabrielle drew her hand to her mouth, reeling. Was this really the same man she'd lived with on a small farm? Was this even the same god she'd met on the road to Damask a few months ago? Gone were any traces of mortality. Pure power radiated from his pores, overwhelming her senses. She could feel her legs weakening_. I am not going to faint,_ she told herself firmly as her head began to spin. White lights flashed in her eyes and she grabbed at his arm to keep from falling.

"Oh, sorry," Ares said absently. Her head cleared as a huge mental pressure was removed.

"What was that?" she managed to gasp.

"Ar! You need to be more careful," Aphrodite chided. "Poor thing…" she said, patting Gabrielle's arm.

Her legs still felt watery, like they were going to slide out from under her. The closest she'd come to feeling that kind of power was after Ares had killed Eli. But even that paled in experience to what had just happened.

"I've never felt anything like that before," Gabrielle gasped.

"Oh, was it good for you too?" Ares replied huskily, his voice teasing. Gabrielle felt her lips curl up in a small smile. "Now, what do you want?"

"Oh, Ares, don't be like that! Sorry, Gabby. Ar isn't used to be around mortals and he forgot to tone it down a little. Hello?" Aphrodite glared up at her brother. "With all the wars going on Ares has more worshippers than me, can you believe it? It's really got his power all amped up. As if he needed a power trip!"

Aphrodite's light teasing sounded forced, as if she was turning something very serious into a joke. And Ares didn't look amused at all.

"Look, I really have places to be," Ares snapped his fingers, ready to disappear, but Aphrodite grabbed his arm.

"Ares, wait," Gabrielle said.

"Nuh-uh, Ar. You're staying right here until you talk to Gabrielle. You've been sulking around those sooty halls long enough. Toodles!" And the goddess was gone again in a burst of confetti.

Ares looked down at his feet, shifting them slightly as if testing their weight. The movement made him seem so human, almost vulnerable. Xena's voice echoed in her head, "You're afraid!" followed by Eli's: "True love can not exist without the risk of loss. What can an immortal possibly know about loss?"

Gabrielle took a long breath and when she let it out she began. She told Ares about Jappa and about Xena's sacrifice, speaking not like a bard but like a friend. The words were honest but gentle. As she spoke Ares watched her, and she in turn saw him become a man again. He was with her as her sword sang out in victory against the samurai. His eyes mourned as she shared with him the funeral pyre. And he smiled when Xena outsmarted her final enemy.

"I taught her that," he said of the classic Xena move that had ended the demon's life.

"Ares, she made her choice before we even left Greece. I'm sure of that now. It was her time. Maybe she was tired of fighting for a greater good that seemed to be at war with her darker side. I don't know."

Ares sat down besides her on a stone altar and bowed his head over his hands.

"I'm sorry that she didn't tell you we were leaving Greece. We were in a hurry," Gabrielle told him, wincing at how harsh the words came out.

"So she's gone. She's really gone," he gasped, and the god of war turned his face from the mortal besides him and shuddered.

"Ares, it's okay," Gabrielle said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

"I loved her," he said finally.

"So did I," Gabrielle replied. "And I think she loved us both as best she could."

Ares glanced up at her sharply and then vanished before she could interpret the hungry, cold look in his eyes.


	3. Chapters 5,6

Ch5

She stood with one hand shielding the rising sun and a wide grin on her face. Maybe it was the way he walked or the fact that he was a head taller than most men, but she immediately recognized him as he came over the ridge. Ares appeared by her side and grasped her shoulder. Gabrielle elbowed Ares hard in the stomach and he let go.

"Hercules!" she called, waving. The sun glinted off a metallic object at her side-Xena's chakram.

"Gabrielle, hi," he said, bending down to give her a hug. "I'm glad to see you." His fingers reached for her blond hair, soft and untouched by gray. He stood back, holding her at arms length to gaze down at the petite, muscular figure. "You look…amazing."

"Twenty five years of beauty rest. Come on, the rabbit should be finished cooking. I'll tell you all about it," she offered, pointing to a small campsite.

Gabrielle hurried over the details of Ares time as a mortal, her words painting the picture of a lonely farm in the countryside and a man deeply and impossibly in love. They were enjoying the last of the stew as she described returning Ares and Aphrodite's immortality.

"Xena refused a bite of Odin's apple. She chose to remain mortal," Gabrielle continued.

"Xena and her redemption," Ares sighed, stretching out his legs and leaning back to stare up at the sky. "Look where it got her." Gabrielle jerked her shoulders, then got up and stalked away without a word.

"You always were the sensitive type," Hercules said, moving to go after her.

"Let her alone," Ares snapped. "She's stronger than you think."

Gabrielle came back a few minutes later, her face slightly swollen and her eyes rimmed with red.

"Well, Ares, here we are," Hercules said. "Are you going to tell me why?"

"It has to do with the Twilight," Gabrielle spoke into the fire and her voice was far away. "I thought the Twilight ended when Xena lost her power to kill the gods, but what if that was just the beginning? Did Ares tell you about Aphrodite?"

Hercules sighed. "Yes, he did. Is she really dying?"

"You haven't seen her recently. She's … fading. Ares says the harder she fights it the worse she gets."

"And what about you?" Hercules asked Ares. "No effects from the Twilight? Or are you fighting it too?"

Ares chuckled to himself, then threw back his head and laughed.

"Fighting it? Am I fighting it? Why would I fight _this_?" And suddenly the whole campsite was lit in a brilliant blue. The light surrounding Ares was blinding and the air cracked and popped, leaving behind the smell of lightning. Gabrielle managed to draw out her sais then Hercules caught her as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Untamed power hit them in wave after wave, finally knocking even Hercules to the ground.

"Ares!" Hercules called. The ground vibrated under their knees. Hercules crawled to the glowing figure, shielding his face from the light. Hercules grabbed at Ares, his fingers curling around the leather vest and his right hand came up. His fist connected with Ares jaw and then the light was gone. Hercules sat on the ground, panting, as a blue jay cautiously started to whistle again in the still clearing.

"So you see, dear brother," Ares said, sitting back down by the fire. "I'm doing just fine."

"Fine? You almost killed us. You almost killed yourself! Is that what you're holding back? How long do you think you can last like this?" Hercules asked.

"A week. Maybe two," Ares replied. "And then-" A small ball of fire appeared between Ares hands. "Boom," he said, and a mushroom cloud formed where the ball had been.

Gabrielle was holding her head and moaning. "I think my life flashed before my eyes." Her head was still spinning with images. Xena the Conqueror, Caesar the Invincible, warlords that had never existed, times that had passed centuries ago.

"I saw you, Ares. And Xena." She hugged her arms around herself as she fell into a coughing fit. "She told you we were going to Jappa and you tried to stop her. Did that really happen?"

"It was a suicide mission and she knew it." Ares bowed his head, hiding his face in shadow. "My last memory of Xena is her telling me that she regretted making me immortal again. And now I realize it doesn't even matter."

Gabrielle reached out and put her hand on Ares shoulder.

"No, Ares, don't you see? This way you have a choice. If you give up immortality you can live a normal life."

"Normal? Mortality is a death sentence!"

"It gives life meaning, Ares."

"Spare me your philosophies. I'm not here to be converted." Ares voice was almost gentle, as if he was reminding Gabrielle of something.

"You can't just throw my own words back at me. When I said that I meant it," Gabrielle told Ares.

"Gabrielle, what exactly is going on here?" Hercules asked.

Gabrielle retrieved her sais from the ground and sheathed them in her boots.

"Ares wants to change the past," she said. "He's been reading my scrolls and trying to figure out the best way to do it."

"So what, I'm not supposed to kill Zeus? Xena can't protect her child?" Hercules asked.

Gabrielle considered this. "Even if we do manage to save Xena, we can't save the other gods, Ares. They were trying to kill Eve. We had to save her. I won't risk her life for this. Maybe Hercules is right."

"Oh, boy." Hercules ran his fingers through his hair. "Gabrielle, Eve is… she's dead."

"What? No. No…" Gabrielle whispered. Her mind flew back through the years. She was in the clearing again and Xena was clutching at her shoulders as she struggled through her labor, leaving welts that would later swell and sting. A crown of fuzzy hair appeared and she urged her friend on even as the sounds of fighting got closer. The air was heavy with the smell of blood and birth and rain. A child's cries joined the chorus of thunder that sounded from above at the death of the king of the gods. It was a girl, a perfect baby girl. Eve.

"I'm sorry, Gabrielle," Hercules said, his large hand coming down to grasp her shoulder.

"A martyr for her own cause – apparently the world isn't interested in messages of peace when everyone around them is dying." Ares sighed.

"No," Gabrielle repeated. "We went through so much for her. How can she be dead?"

"Do you think this world is what Eli's one god had in mind?" Ares asked.

"Gabrielle, don't listen to him," Hercules urged. "He's using Eve's death to try and turn this to his advantage." Gabrielle turned to Ares and shoved him hard. Her face was twisted with grief and pain.

"You knew all along. Every time I start to think I can trust you then you prove me wrong. I wish Xena had never given you that apple. I wish she'd let the furies do their work!" She pulled out a sai from her boot and held it to his throat.

"You remind me of Xena sometimes." Ares pushed the weapon aside. "So I knew Eve was dead. If you help me change the past we can save her."

"Gods can't change the flow of time." Hercules replied. "They live outside of it. Callisto proved that – she tried to kill me before I was born, she even tried to save herself, but in the end the flow of time stayed the same. I really don't think changing the past is a good idea."

Ares grabbed his vest, yanking him close. That old hatred burned deep in his eyes.

"You went back. You saved Serena, remember? So spare me, brother. You saved the woman you loved and now you tell me I can't?"

Hercules grabbed Ares wrists and threw them off, taking a step back. "You are risking everything. Don't you understand that?"

"I have nothing left to lose!"

It was an admission of a desperate man. Ares was asking for help and there was no one else he could turn to. And no telling what he would do. This was someone on the edge of reality, like a soldier that had seen too many friends die in battle and knew he would never return home again.

"What can I do to help?" Hercules asked.

"I need someone to look after Aphrodite while I'm gone. I thought about goody-two-shoes here," Ares jerked his head towards Gabrielle, who was still lost in her own thoughts. "Gabrielle, Amazon Goddess of War has a nice ring to it. But I need her to come with me."

Gabrielle gave a start. "Wait, you were going to make me the god of war? But now you want Hercules to do it?"

Ares just have a casual shrug as if none of it mattered to him. He played indifference well. "You're friends with Aphrodite and I think she'd enjoy having you on Olympus. Someone needs to be up there just in case I can't come back."

"How do you plan on getting back?" Hercules asked.

"I'll think of something. But don't worry, dear brother, with the Twilight you won't be a god for long either way."

"I knew there was a catch somewhere." Ares grasped Hercules arm with one hand. Gabrielle watched as age was lifted from his back and old wounds were healed. The rib Ares had broken a few days before mended itself as strength pulsed through his limbs.

"How do you feel?" Gabrielle asked Hercules. Hercules was looking down at himself, turning his hands over to examine the flawless skin.

"Amazing. I feel thirty years younger."

Ares sighed. "Mortal again. I hate being mortal."

Ch6

"Are you ready?" Hercules asked.

"If we're going to do this, then let's go," Gabrielle replied. Ares smirked and took a step closer to her. She reluctantly stepped into his arms and the world lurched and spun around her. Out of the haze vague shapes began to solidify. Then they were in a room surrounded by curtains and filled with the steamy scent of flowers. In the center was a large bath filled with perfumed water. Gabrielle realized she was still holding onto Ares and his arms were wrapped lightly around her waist. She dropped her arms, cheeks burning, and he looked down at her with an expression of smug amusement before he pulled her behind a drape.

"Ares!" she protested. His palm covered her mouth and he hissed into her ear.

"Quiet!"

Gabrielle's eyes widened as Xena ducked under the hanging curtain, followed by a stumbling Joxter.

"You know how I feel about her," he was saying.

"Sure, you love her," Xena replied.

Gabrielle peered through the slit in the curtain as Xena sat back in the hot water. Joxter's shadow moved across the room as he fumbled through the conversation. It was so bittersweet to see him young and foolish and alive. He had never done anything to hurt her and she'd repaid him with an uneasy friendship. _Did I really think it would hurt less?_

Ares tapped Gabrielle on the shoulder and pointed to a doorway behind Xena. Gabrielle shook her head, refusing. They should wait until Xena left the bath. They couldn't risk detection and she thought she knew why Ares was standing so rigidly behind her.

"Interesting offer," came a suave familiar voice across the room.

Gabrielle watched as Ares, god of war, whispered softly into Xena's ear. His hands were on her shoulders, his lips on her neck. He offered her the same speech he always gave, but the words were spoken with a passion that clearly moved Xena.

Behind her Ares hands clamped down over her own.

"Hey, don't do anything rash. Nothing happens," he whispered in her ear. "I wanted her to trust me enough to get the chakram. If Kal managed to get his oily hands on it he would use it against me and declare himself as the god of war in Olympus."

She saw herself storm into the room, yelling at Ares before he disappeared in a flash of blue light. Now she was the one who was nervous, looking up at Ares as he watched the two of them together. She saw herself giving Xena a fresh towel, wrapping it over the swell of her breasts before giving the warrior princess a swift hug.

"Xena, you can't trust him. That's Ares, god of war."

"He seems to know me," Xena replied, running a comb through her wet hair.

"You hate him, Xena. He's manipulated you and lied to you for years. Trust me."

"I do, Gabrielle. It just felt like there might be something between us." Xena sounded so lost, so confused. In that moment Gabrielle had only wanted to make sure her friend didn't get hurt.

"There has never been anything between you and Ares and there never will be. If you see him again I want you to tell him that. I love you, Xena."

"I love you too, Gabrielle." The room was silent except for the bath as it dripped water onto the floor in a patter of uneven drops. Ares moved past her as soon as they were out of sight.

"Ares, I was trying to protect her." He laughed harshly, running his fingers along the wet stones of the bath. "You hadn't given me any reason to think you really cared about her."

"Maybe not," Ares turned to her and she held her breath. Even as a mortal he was shockingly beautiful. Xena told her once he looked that way because that's what his worshipers wanted him to look like, a creature of perfection and dark lust. "Maybe not, but she damn well cared about me and you knew it."

"Ares, wait, listen to me. I had every reason to distrust you. You took me to Chin and then forced me to repay you by betraying my friend! You fathered a child with my daughter. Can you blame me for trying to shield Xena from you?"

Gabrielle was surprised by the intensity of the words she threw at him, at their weight. "You weren't trying to protect Xena, Gabrielle. You were trying to protect yourself." His arms were folded across his chest. She wasn't going to get any explanation from him. He was Ares, and mortal or immortal, he couldn't change his nature.

"I know. So were you," she finally whispered, ducking her head to wipe at her eyes. When she looked up again he was gone.

Gabrielle found Eli bent over a yellowed scroll, lips moving silently as he read. Eli glanced up as she entered, giving her a smile that faltered and became a frown as he noticed the subtle differences about her.

"Who are you?"

"It's me, Eli. It's Gabrielle," she said, grasping his hands. He scanned the lines on her face, the hardness he now saw there. "The future isn't what any of us imagined it would be. Your message has been lost, the last of the Olympian gods are dying, and Xena has sacrificed herself for someone else's redemption."

Eli moved his hands to cover a face etched in sorrow.

"Two days ago I was witness to a miracle. Why would you and Xena be granted life again if the future is so hopeless?

"That's a question I hoped you could help me answer."

She briefly told Eli of the birth of Eve, Ares' sacrifice, and the journey to Jappa. When she was finished Eli took her hands in his and they prayed for guidance. Her mind, just a moment ago a tempest of thoughts and feelings, became calm. She could hear her breathing become deep and even in time to Eli's. Strength pulsed from her palms to his, back and forth, growing. She opened her eyes and the world was still, at peace. Birds sang into an evening sky already awash with stars. Time passed and she moved with it. Every heartbeat was an affirmation of life.

"Do you feel him, Gabrielle?"

"I do," she whispered.

"He speaks to me, Gabrielle. I have been shown many things. There is a way to bring hope to the future. Are you ready?"

"I am. I would do anything to save Xena"

Eli smiled gently.

"I know. The bond you share is a beautiful thing. It can't be broken. You never need fear that. But you already know in your heart what needs to be done."

An image formed in her mind that was so strong it was like a memory. Ares was singing softly under his breath as he cradled a baby to his shoulder. He danced with her in a moonlit clearing, rocking her to sleep. Even though he wasn't smiling he radiated happiness. It was in the gentle way he held the infant girl and the open look in his eyes as he gazed at her mother sitting on the ground in front of them.

Gabrielle waited for the heartbreak that this knowledge should bring and was surprised by the sense of purpose she felt instead. There was meaning in what would be done. Her sacrifice would be nothing compared to Eli's, or to the sacrifice Xena was willing to make.

"Yes," Eli affirmed. "You are the keeper of your own soul. Let go of fear and doubt."

"Thank you, Eli. I understand."


	4. Chapters 7,8,9

Ch7

Ares, god of war, sprawled casually across this throne and stared into the ether. There were several parts of today's events he found troubling. First, there was that prophet that managed to resurrect Xena and that annoying blond. Sure, he'd told Kal it was a parlor trick, but it was an impressive parlor trick. And since this Eli wasn't a god himself it begged the question – how did he do it?

He took a sip of wine from the goblet in his hand and considered the alternatives, none of which made him happy.

Then, there was Xena's reluctance to deliver that killing blow to Kal. Even after she'd regained her senses she seemed different to him. He hadn't seen her in awhile and she _was_ just crucified –not a pleasant experience for anyone, but the way she had looked at him was almost… affectionate. _I must be going crazy. This is Xena we're talking about!_

He shook his head to clear it. What a day.

"Ares?" He heard her calling him from his temple. Not the woman he was hoping to see, but maybe she'd do. He stepped into the ether and out again with a thought.

"Gabrielle, social call?" Ares realized he was still holding his wine and tossed the goblet aside. "I could use some female company."

"Sorry, Xena's busy, but I would be happy to pass along the message."

That's when he saw her, really saw her. And wow-

"I really like the new outfit. It's very… you."

"Oh, yeah? You'll like these too." Gabrielle pulled out her sais and spun them around expertly. If he hadn't been staring so intently at her visible skin and imaging what the covered parts looked like, she probably wouldn't have gotten that kick in. His head whipped back with a crack and then she was punching at his chest, his arms.

"Hey, hey! Not the face!" He caught one of her small hands in his fist but she twisted away and kicked him in the midriff. He bent over and her sai came crashing down on his skull.

His leg spun out, knocking her onto her back. She pushed herself up again and they were sparring across the temple. He thought of it as sparring, since he hadn't killed her yet. She probably thought she was putting up a good fight. His sword blocked her sai as she swung it overhead. Okay, maybe she was putting up a good fight.

They both jumped up onto the altar. Gabrielle kicked aside the offerings of jewels and gold and crouched down, ready to attack. He moved in to grab her throat and she buried her sai in his shoulder.

"That was not very nice," Ares said, grabbing her wrist and squeezing. She let go of the sai and took a step back, breathing hard. "Where did you learn that?" He should roast her alive where she stood. It wouldn't be sporting, but who would know?

"You taught me," she said. Ares looked down at the weapon in his hand. It was worn and nicked with years of use.

"Chronus stone?" he asked. "I should have guessed. The Gabrielle I know is still… untutored. So, in the future you're my pupil? I can live with that." Ares tossed her back the sai and she sheathed it in her boot. "So why are you here?"

"Xena is pregnant."

Ares made a show of counting on his fingers. "Hmn, one, two, three days back from the dead and already with child. Who's the lucky father?"

"I think you are."

Ares sat back on his throne, studying the petite warrior. Her body rippled with muscles trained for fighting. She had instincts that came with years of battle. From peaceful pacifist to this? It was too much.

"I know you care about Xena," Gabrielle continued. "Her life and yours depends on what you do next."

Ares walked around Gabrielle in a slow circle. He noted the way her chin lifted as he studied her. This was not the same woman he'd rescued from a lava pit. What was she to him in the future? The possibilities intrigued him. He sincerely hoped he'd had the pleasure of breaking her in as a warrior.

Ares ran his fingers across her back and breathed into her ear. "Right now I'm more interested in what you'll do next."

And then the memory of holding Hope resurfaced. _"You are so not like your mother."_ He pulled away, shaking. No, no, that was in the past. This was Gabrielle. A slightly older, seasoned version of Gabrielle. It didn't help, he looked at her and he saw Hope. That had been some heavy stuff all right.

She looked up at him with those gentle eyes. Even after all she'd been through and whatever pain she'd found in the future, she was still so damn soft. Ares gave himself a shake.

She leaned forward and the kiss was almost chaste. As she breathed out he was flooded with a tide of memories. He saw Xena cradling a newborn child. Gabrielle was drinking the tears of death before passing out on a sandy beach. She was dying as blood seeped from a nasty head wound. They were together on a farm, they were fighting side by side. Years of memories, her memories, came more quickly, crowding into one another until he pulled away.

"No!" Ares said, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. "No, you hate me and now you're getting your payback. There's no way all that's going to happen."

"I forgave you a long time ago, Ares. Just because you're always up to something doesn't mean I am."

"This conversation is over," Ares snapped his fingers, disappearing with a flash of blue.

Ares, god of war, once more sprawled across this throne and stared into the ether. There were several parts of today's events he found troubling…

Ch8

Only in death had she been his. Then he could speak freely to her, the words coming easily when she couldn't hear them.

_She knew what you needed: unconditional and unselfish love. And I couldn't give that to you._

He had mourned her. Oh, how he had mourned her. He'd been so damned sure when she drank that poison that there was a plan. Xena always had a plan. If only he'd listened to his gut and flashed them all away someplace else when the attack started. After twenty five years he'd moved on, found a new warrior to take her place. Rome had been his hunting ground and the spoils of her victories had been sweet indeed. To see Xena after all that time, Xena in the flesh and blood instead of in a nightmare remembrance of her last moments on the beach, changed everything.

He pictured her in that instant, those blue eyes hot with wrath, threatening him with an instrument that couldn't harm him much less kill him. And yet there had been that uneasy current of fear pulsing under his skin. If she was alive then he'd made a mistake. And she wasn't wearing that mask of hatred because he'd entombed her in ice. He'd made a big mistake and it might cost him the only woman he'd ever wanted as his queen. So he had threatened, demanded, manipulated. If she wasn't going to forgive him for Livia, Eve, then what other choice did he have?

Ares put a hand over his eyes. He'd never used to think this way, never questioned his decisions or their outcome. When Xena was a warlord there was none of this confusion to get in the way. It was after she'd decided to follow the path of the greater good that she'd started to get to him.

_Hey,_ _I got to her too_.

The opposite of love was indifference. Not lust or even the kindness she'd showed him through the years. And she had used him too. That whole joke at the siege of Amphipolis, as if he would really let Athena kill Xena's child, deal or no deal. Xena had wanted the same thing that he did. _She just needed an excuse to allow herself to do it_. Her mouth hot and eager over his - that was not an act on her part. She had let go of whatever held her back because she knew she didn't have to follow through, that soon she would be forced to stop. And that instant where she'd given in was the sweetest memory he had of her. He could have died in her arms in that moment and been content.

Ares wandered randomly through the empty hallways, trying to shut out his conversation with Gabrielle and the memories it dredged up. There was a distinct difference between his musings as a god and as a mortal. He'd forgotten how hard it was to take control of a situation when emotions got in the way. What did she want from him anyway?

When he was on the farm after Xena left he would sometimes dream of her. That was on a good night. Most nights he was kneeling on a hot floor, feeling the riptide of power emanating from a fiery figure before him. Only it wasn't just a nightmare; he was remembering the weakness he'd felt under Dahak's reign. At first he'd thought of their relationship as a partnership. Dahak had soon disabused him of that notion, demanding he mate with that demon spawn of a daughter. Every instinct had screamed at him to submit or die. It came down to a matter of survival.

His echoing footsteps were joined by a softer footfall ahead. She was a blur of raven hair and red cloth down a dimly lit corridor. He thought he caught a flash of her blue eyes as she turned a corner, then she was gone. Ares hurried after the retreating figure, expecting to find her at each turn. The corridor suddenly ended and Ares turned around in a slow circle. There, a small doorway leading out onto a stone balcony. She was a glowing outline in the setting sun. As he got closer he could smell the jasmine vines climbing up the temple walls. A gentle breeze was playing with her hair, lifting it off her shoulders then setting it down again.

"Xena." His hands moved to her shoulders and she turned to face him. There was a gentleness to her features, a calmness in those blue eyes as they looked thoughtfully up at him. Her skin was warm beneath his hands, pulsing with life.

He held a woman in his arms that was completely defenseless. Any memory she held of her darkness was lost. She had no reason to hate him, or love him. Then why was she running her fingers along his jaw line, studying his face with her hands? He traced the gentle lines of her neck with his fingers until they tangled themselves in her hair. He had anticipated her passionate anger, that automatic distrust she held for him. He had never imagined this tenderness between them.

All this time he thought he had been waiting for her surrender. Maybe she had also been waiting for his. In this moment there was nothing between them, not his godhood or the past. He was as helpless as she was. At least, that's what he told himself as he found her soft lips under his.

Ch9

She found Ares alone on a balcony overlooking a lush valley. His hands were folded as if in prayer and he was bent over the railing with his eyes closed.

"Ares? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Just dandy. Did you have any luck?" Ares turned around, leaning against the railing. His expression was brooding and closed. Gabrielle wondered what had happened in the hours they'd been separated.

"I spoke with Eli."

"Don't tell me I gave up my immortality so you could have a chat with the guy responsible for starting the Twilight? Well, what did that second-bit prophet have to say?"

"It's complicated," she replied.

"It always is."

"Let's go home," Gabrielle said.

Ares, God of War, appeared before them. He eyed his mortal self wearily.

"This is making a little more sense. What's her name?"

"Eve," a mortal Ares replied. "Her name is Eve."

The God of War nodded, and with a wave of his hand returned the two intruders to where they needed to go.


End file.
